Mar 7 2011:
I would love to see Ruslan Medzhithov. His early work on innate immunity created a revolution within the fields of immunology and vaccine design. However, I would recommend him because his perspectives on immunology and evolution are completely remarkable. Simply by improvising for a seminar course I took with him, he condensed all the theories and concepts of immunology into the three methods of dealing with problems 1) avoidance, 2) elimination, and 3) tolerance. Specifically, we have studied only #2 in depth in the context of immunology and the other two approaches are yet to be explored.

Mar 14 2011:
I would love to hear Stephanie Pace Marshall former president of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy speak on creating a new education story/narrative. She is a wonderful speaker and storyteller. One of our visionaries.

Mar 25 2011:
Yann Arthus-Bertrand. One of the team who produces the "Earth From Above" series of books. These books, and their work has become - for some - an indisputable chronicle of the changes our planet is suffering.

Mar 12 2011:
Daniel Ilabaca, to represent Parkour. Parkour is a recently developed athletic activity that promotes a high level of athleticism and creativity in movements to surmount physical obstacles in their urban or natural environment.

Firstly it can be practiced in any place with minimal equipment, a pair of cheap trainers is all that is required. Parkour was invented in a Paris ghetto where money for sports classes and equipment was simply not available. Inherent in the philosophy of parkour is that there is no single teacher, instead people train together in social collectives without any money changing hands. This makes it a very inclusive activity. Parkour has rapidly spread by word of mouth and internet videos. Parkour groups can now be found in most cities of the world from Morocco to Malaysia. Even in my current location of Tokyo, there is a large and active group.

Secondly, Parkour allows people to reconnect with urban environments, taking them from being limiting places of rules and work to adult-sized playgrounds. Parkour can be trained alone but is best as a social activity. Despite its appearance, parkour emphasises absolute control and gradual development, thus has a low injury rate. Given the increasing urbanisation of the world and decreasing standards of health connected with insufficient exercise, I see an open, inclusive and accessible activity such as parkour as being vital to the spirit and well-being of humanity.

Daniel Ilabaca has attained an extremely high level of ability in parkour and I would put him forward as one appropriate person to showcase parkour at this time. Alternatively David Belle as a founder and long term practitioner.

Mar 8 2011:
One person immediately came to mind. Robin Urquhart, he is one of the first youth delegates for the Arctic Council. I'd love to hear him speak about the changes going on in the north and helping us get a grasp on them as well as show us the things that are being done. Robin being one of the young people who will see the future to come, will be able to share his concerns about a future he will have to see and deal with.

All this talk about climate change as a whole barely touches on specific regions, and when speaking of the Arctic, I want to hear from someone of perspective and great passion who is deeply involved in the matter. I believe he can show us how truly special the Arctic really is.

I would love to see Elaine Aron talking about Highly Sensitive Persons. Her findings and explanations helped me a lot to understand my child who always behaves a little bit different from others (and I've never had the feeling that she had a problem like ADHD or that she needed special help or treatment). When I discovered the work of Elaine Aron, it was a real revelation and I think it could help other parents or educators to better understand these children.

Mar 25 2011:
Gareth Malone, a choirmaster from Britain, who has for years brought the idea of "group efforts" to unique audiences. Check YouTube for Gareth Malone and "the Choir".His efforts have won acclaim in Britain, other folks need to see what this young fellow is doing. Inspiring!